Proverbs 1:1

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Dear reader, consider these words carefully and slowly. They are wonderful words. You have entered the personal library of inspired royalty. The secrets of wisdom have been collected and preserved for you. Solomon, the rich and wise king of Israel, the son of beloved David, will teach you to be great in the sight of God and men (Pr 3:1-4; 10:1; 25:1). You stand before an open door of knowledge, prudence, honor, riches, and life, among many other blessings. These are not the mere words of a pagan thinker, whose sayings have long ago been proven false. These are the inspired words of God as learned, proven, and written down by the worlds greatest analyst and philosopher (Eccl 1:12-18; 2:1-12). What is a proverb? Before you read this wonderful book and attempt to understand these words of Solomon, consider the definition and nature of a proverb. The English word, according to The Oxford English Dictionary, means the following: 1. A short pithy saying in common and recognized use; a concise sentence, often metaphorical or alliterative in form, which is held to express some truth ascertained by experience or observation and familiar to all; an adage, a wise saw. 2. A common word or phrase of contempt or reproach, a byword. 3. An oracular or enigmatical saying that requires interpretation; an allegory, a parable. The Bible uses the word proverb in all three ways, and it contains all three types of proverbs. Solomons book of proverbs contains all three kinds as well. Proverbs can be difficult to grasp. As the definitions show, they are often metaphorical, which means they use words figuratively, not literally. And they are often enigmatical, which means they were composed intentionally with obscure metaphors or other figures of speech to challenge the reader to discover their hidden lesson. They can be obscure and perplexing by design, which gives them their unique appeal, beauty, and force. Solomon in his introduction describes proverbs as needing interpretation and being the dark sayings of wise men (Pr 1:6). You may almost see him admitting definitions one and three above, for metaphors need interpretation and enigmas are truly dark sayings! His proverbs are not for speedreading or light reading! They are for careful and slow reading, with much thought on the lesson or lessons and how to apply the wisdom to life. These sayings need interpretation and application, which means arriving at the sense intended by God and Solomon (II Pet 1:20-21). As with all proper Bible teaching, the words are to be read distinctly, and then the proper sense given to cause understanding (Neh 8:8). This procedure must be followed in all books of the Bible, but especially here. Jesus and His disciples further show the difficulty of understanding proverbs. Consider the following two verses showing the obscure nature of a proverb: These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. John 16:25 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. John 16:29

Jesus knew proverbs were not plain speech, and the disciples understood proverbs were not plain speech. Proverbs need careful analysis and interpretation to know the full and correct meaning and application. Instead of being intimidated, get excited at the prospect! These proverbs will provide short, valuable, and challenging rules for living life successfully by the wisdom of God. What an exciting literary form! What an interesting way of communicating truth! And all by the Divine inspiration of the LORD Jehovah! But these are not just any proverbs, they are the proverbs of Solomon, son of David and king of Israel. Begotten and trained by the man after Gods own heart, God gave Solomon largeness of heart and wisdom above all other men (I Kings 3:12; 4:29-31). As a rich king with a peaceful reign, he explored the purpose and rules of life more than any other man could even attempt, as is recorded in his philosophical book, Ecclesiastes. God inspired Solomon to write many proverbs, by which he taught the people knowledge and set out acceptable words, even the words of truth (Eccl 12:9-11). Of a total of three thousand proverbs (I Kings 4:32), the best five hundred or so are here. What a collection! You will learn wisdom to cover most every area of your life. Success is right before you! Tremble before the Word of God and rejoice at the opportunity of finding great spoil from the mind of God and the observations of Solomon. Let your intent be learning and obedience only, without even a trace of mere academic interest or knowledge for the sake of pride. Let your ambition be to grow in wisdom to please God and men.

Proverbs 1:2
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Why did Solomon write Proverbs? He wanted you to have the benefits of his exceptional wisdom, fantastic experiments, and insightful observations as to the purpose and profit of man. He wanted to give wisdom, instruction, and understanding to you. What a wonderful gift! David said Scripture was sweeter than honey and more precious than much fine gold (Ps 19:10). Job esteemed it more important than his necessary food (Job 23:12). How thankful are you, good reader? The wisest king ever, in perfect cooperation with the King of kings, wants to privately tutor you in the wisdom of life! God gave Solomon more wisdom and understanding than any other man (I Kgs 3:9-12). And God gave him the opportunity to experiment with different things more than any other man, for he was exceeding intelligent, rich, powerful, attractive, and had a peaceful reign, allowing him great freedom for experimentation. He wrote the book of Proverbs to share his wisdom and observations in short, pithy sayings for your profit. Solomon wrote to share his great wisdom and social experiments with his son and nation (Eccl 12:912). The book of Ecclesiastes, a philosophy of life culled from his extraordinary situation by inspiration, describes his social experiments and observations about the purpose of man's life. He gave some of his wise answers there, but he primarily taught the people, and indirectly you, through his many proverbs. Solomon hoped to help his son and nation avoid foolishness in life and choose the way of the fear of the Lord and wisdom. He hoped to provide the instruction and understanding that wise men could use to live a more God-pleasing and prosperous life. He wanted to save them from the snares and pitfalls of folly and sin. The terms of our proverb overlap and should not be isolated altogether from each other, but let us consider any shades of their meaning that are unique to them. The value of repetition of similar words

is to emphasize the quality and quantity of the thing described (Pr 1:1-6). In other words, these proverbs are jammed pack full of every aspect of valuable learning that a man could desire. He wants you to know wisdom, which is the power of right judgment. Wisdom knows what to do in any situation. It knows the right use of the best means for the best ends. It knows to choose the good and refuse the evil, and the reasons to do so (Is 7:15-16). He will tell us later that wisdom is the principal thing and we must have it (Pr 4:7). He wants you to know instruction, which is the teaching of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He will be the teacher; you will be the student. What a blessed privilege! Instruction is the teaching discipline of education and training (Ps 32:8; Is 28:26). Without the book of Proverbs, who would instruct you in successful living? He wants you to perceive understanding, which is the power of accurate discernment (I Kgs 3:9,11). A man with understanding comprehends and grasps a situation, or information, to properly identify its leading features and arrive at the correct knowledge of its difficulties, implications, and consequences. It is to know right from wrong, truth from error, light from darkness, integrity from fraud, and so forth. It is to perceive and approve things that are excellent (Phil 1:9-11). Though we do not get very far in the instruction of wisdom and understanding in this short proverb, let us jump ahead for the most important foundational lesson. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding (Pr 1:7; 9:10). Dear reader, do you fear the Lord this day? Do you tremble before the holy and terrible God of the Bible and seek with all your heart to obey and please Him? There is no learning, wisdom, or understanding without the fear of the Lord. If this foundation is in place, then the next thing to do is apply yourself to these proverbs. The Preacher is going to teach you, but learning requires an eager, expectant, focused, seeking, and praying student. Are you ready to consider and absorb each proverb with the same desire and intensity you would have for hid treasures (Pr 2:4)? Men who truly desire wisdom will dedicate themselves to this great goal. See the comments on 18:1. The ultimate source of wisdom and understanding is that taught by the Holy Spirit through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ (Col 1:9-11). All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ Jesus (Col 2:3), so we may joyfully know we have found the One greater than Solomon (Matt 12:42). Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Proverbs 1:3
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
Why read Proverbs? Solomon in his introduction gives at least nine reasons (Pr 1:1-4). He lists wisdom, instruction, understanding, judgment, justice, equity, subtilty, knowledge, and discretion as the goals, all of which are vital for a successful life. Here we have four of them - wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity. These are four things you must learn. You were born ignorant and selfish. Your heart has depraved and perverted affections from Adam, which destroy ability to perceive and reason correctly. Until God regenerates you with a new heart, you will not be wise or right, for your affections remain selfish and perverse. After regeneration, you need instruction to bring your mind up to speed. Here is inspired instruction from the wisest man ever. The book of Proverbs will teach wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity to regenerated persons. But you must receive the instruction, and only humble and submissive readers can do that. Man's innate pride fights against being corrected and taught by another, for he presumes he is wise and right. What is wisdom? It is the power of right judgment. It is the analytical ability to fully discern a dilemma

or situation and correctly conclude the godly and right attitude or action in response. Wisdom is not highly correlated to intelligence, for wisdom operates on a much higher plane than mere rote memory or calculating speed of simple facts. Wisdom sees beyond the apparent to discover the true nature of a thing or situation. What is justice? It is choosing solutions that are just and righteous. Justice always condemns the wicked and justifies the righteous. It does not confuse the two or compromise in either direction. It knows what is right and demands it with faithful integrity. The book of Proverbs teaches justice by defining what is right and wrong. What is judgment? It is very closely connected to justice and often used in tandem with it in the Bible. When we say, "He has good judgment," we mean he has the ability to identify error and choose right. Fads, fear, appearances, or other distractions do not affect judgment. He will cut to the essential issue of a matter and judge rightly (John 7:24). What is equity? It is thinking and acting that is absolutely equal, fair, impartial, and evenhanded. A man with equity is not moved by emotions, friendships, or compensation to compromise. He will not distort truth or slant matters in any direction. He is meticulously fair in distributing both rewards and punishments. He is equally as tough on his own family and friends as he would be on his enemies (I Tim 5:21). Though there may be some overlap in these four goals of Proverbs, the repetition does not hurt us, for it only emphasizes the exceeding great value of this book. Wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity are wonderful things to have, and every noble reader will crave them with great desire. They are before you in this book. They are hardly taught anywhere else in the world. Thank God for your blessed opportunity and receive them! Jesus of Nazareth had these four traits in infinite abundance (Is 11:4; Luke 2:52; Col 2:3)! His own enemies said, "Never man spake like this man" (John 7:46). And when on trial for His life before combined religious and political enemies, they could not produce a single fault in his very public life (Mark 14:55-59). Today He reigns at the pinnacle of power of the universe, and He does so in perfect righteousness (Ps 45:6-7; Rev 19:11).

Proverbs 1:4
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Why did God inspire, and Solomon write, the book of Proverbs? Here is part of the answer (Pr 1:1-4). These proverbs provide subtilty for simple people, and knowledge and discretion for young men. All men are born simple, ignorant, and foolish; without correction and instruction, they will be perplexed and punished by life. But the wise Preacher recorded his observations and learning in short sayings to teach wisdom for life. Simple people have little understanding or wisdom. They are foolish, gullible, nave, silly, and stupid. They lack ability to quickly and accurately discern, comprehend, analyze, and choose wisely. Solomons precious proverbs can give subtilty, or prudence, to such people, which is sharp ability to quickly perceive, understand, and judge matters, even where distinctions are fine. Subtle men are knowledgeable, clever, and wise. Glory! Young men arrive as babies. They know nothing. They eat like nursing puppies, and they need diapers to protect themselves. They take a year to walk, another to talk, and another to potty. By five they ride a bike, and by fifteen barely drive a car. They dream of marrying a supermodel, playing in the NBA, and driving a Ferrari. At twenty they are foolish, gullible, impulsive, nave. They lack temperance (self-discipline) and experience. They play hard and sleep long, but they find work hard and long! When they do work hard, they dont

know how to work smart. They spend money, but dont know to save it. They instantly spot attractive women, but they cannot distinguish character. They can marry a wife, but dont know how to lead one. They can father a child, but dont have a clue about training one. They can make money, but they dont know how to invest it. What happens to these foolish and ignorant young men? Adultery, bankruptcy, crime, debt, depression, disease, divorce, drugs, drunkenness, fighting, jail, painful marriages, pornography, poverty, unemployment, vain business ventures, and premature death! All which can be avoided by learning and practicing Solomons wonderful proverbs. Glory! Knowledge here is knowing what is appropriate, effective, godly, profitable, right, and safe. It is knowing God, fearing Him, and knowing He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Such knowledge cannot come from the world; it must come from heaven; and God gave it to us in the book of Proverbs. Young men need this knowledge. Discretion discriminates between right and wrong. It knows how, when, and why to do or not to do something. It perceives a situation and takes advantage of its opportunities or avoids its dangers. It wisely discerns and separates factors in any matter to rightly judge its merit or morality. Young men need discretion to correct their folly and inexperience. Young man, you need these proverbs. Without them, you are going to be hurt in life and never amount to what you could with them. With them, you can be great in the sight of God and all good men. You can truly be successful and prosperous! These lessons are not difficult. You must make the investment each day to learn them well, retain their wisdom, and apply them to the specific decisions and situations of your own life. Father, you dont know what to teach to your children? Teach them Solomons proverbs! They were inspired and written for this very purpose. Anything else you have learned in life is only valid to the degree it agrees with Proverbs and the rest of the Bible. What Ben Spock and the NEA believe should be taught is a tragedy. Teach them inspired wisdom from heaven for your mutual happiness and the prosperity of your family. If you think you are already subtle, knowledgeable, and discreet, then these proverbs are not for you. You are a self-deceived and self-righteous fool and scorner, and you will meet your fate soon enough. God, wisdom, and wise men will laugh at your calamity (Pr 1:20-32). If you think yourself to be something, when you are nothing, you have simply lied to yourself (Gal 6:3). Give God the glory, and repent for your arrogance! But if you can come admitting your simplicity and need for knowledge and discretion, then these proverbs are for you. By the grace of God and diligent application of these rules to your life, you can be exceeding wise and deliver yourself from the way of fools. What will you do today? For today is the first day of the rest of your life, and it may be the last! You can never recover this day to apply your heart unto wisdom.

Proverbs 1:5
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Solomon wrote Proverbs for the young and simple (Pr 1:4). But he also wrote it for the mature and wise, that they might acquire greater learning to understand and apply the words of this book (Pr 1:5). Therefore, there is great value to study these proverbs and their interpretations in order to attain to wise counsels. If you will be wise, here is the way! Proverbs are the dark sayings of the wise, and they need interpretation (Pr 1:6). But the effort is well

worth it, for the reward is obtaining greater learning and wise counsel. By understanding Solomon's proverbs and their interpretations in this book, and learning the words of the wise and their dark sayings, you will attain to wise counsels. Men will come to you for help in intricate matters, for you will have acquired wisdom and understanding. What is the rule for increasing learning and attaining unto wise counsels? Hearing! Even wise and understanding men must stop thinking and talking and listen instead in order to become wiser! Your age or wisdom does not matter. To learn more and attain to the counsels of the wise, you must hear instruction from others. Humble yourself before this inspired collection of proverbs and get learning and wise counsel. It is your choice! Wisdom is acquired by the ears, not the mouth! You have two ears, but one mouth. You should be swift to hear and slow to speak (Jas 1:19). However, foolish man would rather speak, for he wants to show others his wisdom. But a wise man will close his mouth and open his ears, so that he might hear the instruction of his teachers and obtain knowledge. Listening is hard for the young and simple, because they are foolish and impatient. Children are selfdeceived to think they know more than parents. Without experience or understanding, they want to teach their elders. But older men also have a problem with listening, for they think too highly of their experience. It takes only a quick look at this book of Proverbs, or a small dose of the problems among men, to reveal their ignorance. Great men understand the times and know what ought to be done (I Chron 12:32). How do they come to this illustrious position from the confusion and ignorance they inherited at birth? They listen and learn from their primary teachers - parents and/or pastors! The blessed God inspired the Bible, which is full of wisdom for life and eternity. And He also sent parents and pastors to teach the Bible to willing hearers (Deut 6:4-9; Eph 6:4; Mal 2:7; Eph 4:11-14). Your part is left! Will you listen like Israel to Ezra, Cornelius to Peter, and the noble Bereans to Paul (Neh 8:1-12; Acts 10:33; 17:11)? It is your choice!

Proverbs 1:6
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
God inspired Proverbs for you! It is in the Bible to teach wisdom to the simple and young (Pr 1:1-4). And it can also take wise men to new levels of knowledge (Pr 1:5-6). But the wisdom in Proverbs must be carefully mined from Solomon's short, dark sayings. Most of the present generation will give up before learning anything (II Tim 3:6-7; 4:3-4)! There are no boring and stuffy theories here that are hard to grasp and apply. Instead, there are short, pithy observations about life that can give you great insight into human experience and sure rules for success. Noble and wise men will realize this incredible gift and apply themselves to learn these obscure sayings of the wisest man in history (Pr 1:5-6). King Solomon was also a Preacher - for he used his great wisdom, social experiments, and findings in philosophy to teach his people knowledge (Eccl 12:9-11). He considered his collection of proverbs a great achievement. He made the project a priority, identified the best proverbs, and put them in order. He used only the best words and limited them to absolute truth that God approved. He chose the 500 or so proverbs in the book of Proverbs from the 3,000 he wrote and others he found (Pr 30:1; 31:1; I Kgs 4:32). It requires effort to learn wisdom from proverbs. They are unlike the sound bites of politicians, the anecdotes used in most pulpits, the juvenile and sensational writing of the press, and the dumbed-down wording of school textbooks. Proverbs are dark sayings: they are riddles (John 16:25,29). Their lesson is obscure. They must be interpreted and applied, or you will miss the lesson buried under the surface

of the pithy saying. The mother lode of wisdom is waiting for those who will diligently mine Solomon's proverbs. You were born with several handicaps, which you must overcome with God's help. All men are born with depraved hearts that lie to them (Pr 14:12; 28:26; Jer 17:9). All the learning the world offers is vanity (Is 8:20; I Cor 1:19-20; 3:19-20; I Tim 6:20-21). There are few teachers of wisdom left (Amos 8:11-12; II Tim 3:6-7; 4:3-4). And you were born in a lazy and impatient generation. Instead of McGuffey's Eclectic Readers, you were trained on Dick and Jane and Dr. Seuss! Proverbs are extra difficult for the MTV generation, many of whom were taught the sight method of reading and/or Ebonics! Instead of resenting the difficulty of proverbs, rejoice at finding the great spoil of secret wisdom hid among the words (Pr 2:4-5; Ps 119:162). Instead of grieving over the effort required, get excited about the intellectual challenge and soul benefit of figuring them out and applying them to your life (Job 23:12; Ps 119:96,104,111). Grab the opportunity! These are the words of God! These are the words of the wisest King and philosopher that ever lived! These proverbs will save you from trouble in your life! These proverbs will bring happiness and success! These proverbs will teach you wisdom, the power of right judgment in all matters you will face! These proverbs will give you the knowledge of why things happen to others as they do! You will have understanding over other men! You will be able to teach truth and wisdom to others (Pr 11:30; 22:17-21)! Why did God inspire dark sayings that are hard to understand? Because success, truth, and wisdom are not rights! They are privileges by God's grace for those who humble themselves and seek them diligently (Pr 1:7; 2:1-9). Wisdom mocks those who are not humbly earnest (Pr 1:24-33; 8:36). But wisdom offers herself freely to the passionate (Pr 8:17). Jesus often spoke in parables, which are merely extended proverbs. Why? To confuse the majority of his hearers, who did not deserve the truth (Matt 13:10-17)! If you neglect His opportunities to learn truth and gain wisdom, the blessed God of heaven has promised to take from you even the little understanding you think you have (Luke 8:18; Is 66:4). You have been warned. Do you read at least one proverb a day and diligently seek its interpretation? Wisdom is freely offered (Pr 8:1-11; 9:1-12). And wisdom should be the principal goal of your life (Pr 4:5-9). Dedicate yourself to obtaining God's wisdom (Pr 18:1-2). Love and learn these dark sayings that provide great value and pleasure (Ps 19:7-11).

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
This is a crucial proverb, for the rest are wasted without fearing the LORD. Solomon put it first! The basic foundation for learning is to fear God (Pr 9:10); but fools reject wisdom and instruction, for they are proud and selfish without regard for God. They love their own opinions (Pr 26:12). Rather than search for truth, fools simply want to promote their own thoughts (Pr 18:1-2). But you cannot even start learning without the true fear of God. Who is the LORD? He is Jehovah of the Bible, the great I AM THAT I AM (Ex 3:14; 6:3). He created the heavens, earth, seas, and everything in them in six twenty-four hour days. When He came as a man 2000 years ago, He was named Jesus (Is 7:14; 9:6; Matt 1:21-23; John 1:1,14). Jesus Christ is Jehovah! And He is coming soon with His mighty angels in flaming fire to destroy His enemies (II Thess 1:7-11; I Tim 6:13-16). The fear of God is an affectionate reverence for Him and humble submission to His word. Fearing God is loving His commandments and hating evil (Pr 8:13; 16:6; Ps 111:10; 112:1). Fearing God recognizes

Him as the First Cause and Last End of all things (Pr 16:4; Rev 4:11)! It knows His forgiveness and seeks to please Him (Ps 130:3-4). A man fearing God trembles humbly at His word (Is 66:2). It is the whole duty of man (Eccl 12:13-14). Natural men, who do not fear God, are fools (Ps 14:1; 36:1; 58:1). Their reasoning processes are perverse, for they reason in a circle from their own conceited ideas (Rom 1:20-23; I Tim 6:3-5,20-21). Spiritual men, who do fear God, are wise and reasonable, because their thoughts begin with faith in a Creator God (II Thess 3:2; Heb 11:3,6). The fool begins his thinking with thoughts of other fools, the believer with the words of God! All men reason in a circle, or begin by assumptions. Their knowledge and wisdom depend on their assumptions. The God-rejecter begins by assuming his ideas and those of the fools before him are intelligent and rational. He begins by assuming he has made great advances in the twenty years since he was in diapers. The righteous man begins by assuming faith in an infinitely wise God, Who has revealed truth and wisdom in Scripture. He begins by thinking he knows nothing at all and needs the help of Another. The fool cannot prove his theories. He calls hallucinations like evolution to be science, but he has never observed evolution, duplicated it in a laboratory, or adequately defined it. He is a fool! And his so-called science is merely a fable (I Tim 6:20-21). The believer knows the Bible is absolutely true internally and externally: but he cannot and will not prove it to the fool, because the fool is missing the essential factor faith (II Thes 3:1-2). Consider faith closely. The fool has faith belief and trust in himself and his other fellow fools. It takes more faith to believe man came from chaotic gases and baboons than it does to believe man came from an intelligent Creator. The fool has faith, but it is faith in mans hallucinations! The fool has faith in lies, which is self-deception! The believer has faith in God and His word (Heb 11:1-6), which is selfinstruction (Pr 15:33)! How did man originate? The fool says a big bang of chaotic gases formed order, design, beauty, life, and the ability and laws to reproduce and preserve them. The man who fears God knows the fool is a fool, because only an idiot could imagine such nonsense, and only the insane would say it! As a humble child trusting God, he cries, The Emperor has no clothes! He knows God made man from dust and breathed into him the breath of life. Evolution is the result of God-hating and sin-loving minds given over to the devil, and it is God Himself Who blinds these fools to worship baboons as their ancestors (Is 44:9-20; Rom 1:20-23). Their think tanks today are to smoke hallucinogenic substances and see who can win the day by coming up with the most outlandish explanation for a thing! Do you doubt this accusation? How do you think they say the big bang was 14 billion years ago? They do not even know what men were doing on earth 4 thousand years ago! The blessed God blinds men who are not thankful to Him for what they are and have (Rom 1:20-23). When they give more glory to the creature than to the Creator, He gives them over to a reprobate mind to do very inconvenient things like sodomy, abortion, child rebellion, rap, bestiality, Picasso, and samesex marriages (Rom 1:24-32). Jehovah, the LORD, has committed Himself to destroy such men (I Cor 1:19-20; 3:19-20). How did the seven-day week originate? Did Neanderthal man decide he was tired after working six days and needed the seventh for rest? The movements of the sun give us seasons and years and days, and the moon gives us months, just as God declared (Gen 1:14-19). Where did the week originate? By Gods revelation (Gen 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11)! How did morality originate? Is adultery wrong? If not, why is polygamy wrong? If not, why is prostitution wrong? If not, why is pornography wrong? If not, why is bestiality wrong? If not, why is pedophilia wrong? How do you reason, fool? Did the caveman of your theories want to protect the woman and give her a loving and secure life in a monogamous relationship of two adults? Or did the blessed God ordain marriage? Consider how an evolutionist reasons. He laughs at sexual abstinence and virginity, while pulling very

small infants apart limb by limb with a suction abortion. He sues farmers for housing chickens in safe cages with constant food, water, and vitamins; but he viciously defends the so-called right to rip an unborn child to pieces! And they call this knowledge! Fearing God is the beginning of knowledge about religion! If it were not for God and His Bible, men would still be sacrificing their wives and children in fire to make peace with their idols, as is still done in India today! They would still be cutting and painting themselves to make peace with the Great Spirit and go to the Happy Hunting Ground. Fearing God is the beginning of knowledge about government! If it were not for God and His Bible, men would still worship their emperor as god, like the Egyptians of old and the Japanese of yesterday. Benevolent government was ordained in the Bible, and it is only widely enjoyed in nations that have been havens for Bible preaching. In all other nations, the peasants are used to satisfy the appetite for luxury of the ruler. Fearing God is the beginning of knowledge about history! Most historians today write history to further a social agenda, and those that write honestly have little data anyway. As foolish man discovers that the Bible accounts of ancient civilizations are true, the same men outlaw the Bible in schools, lest the children have truth at their disposal. Consider the recent discovery of the Hittites that the Bible had described for 3,000 years. The Bible has all the answers from the origin of the universe to what to do with your foolish child, from the origin of death to the cure for it, from perfect rules for marriage to the eternal state of the wicked. Fearing God means that you believe and trust His word, which gives you insight and answers for all the questions of life, while the evolutionist fool can only speculate about new ideas on the age of the big bang. Fearing God means you do not fear man, which brings pressure to compromise (Pr 29:25; Jer 1:8,17). Peer pressure of elementary school students or academicians in your professional field cause men to accept traditional ideas or politically correct theories. It is time for the child to cry again, But the Emperor has no clothes! The fear of God saves a man from this bondage, for such a man despises all human opinions (Ps 119:98-100,128). Where does wisdom originate? In the fear of the Lord! God opens mens eyes, ears, and hearts to truth and wisdom (I Kgs 3:5-15; Jas 1:5). God opens their eyes to His word (Ps 119:18). God shows them His secrets (Pr 3:32; Ps 25:14). And they fear no man (Heb 13:6). Wisdom cannot be found anywhere in the universe, but in the fear of God (Job 28:12-28)!

overbs 1:8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Children! Your future depends on obeying your parents. After introducing Proverbs (Pr 1:1-6), Solomon's second proverb is to children about obeying their parents (Pr 1:8-9). A father's instruction and a mother's law can bring prosperity to your life. But rejecting their training will bring pain and trouble and an early death (Pr 15:10; 23:13-14). The first proverb exalted the fear of the Lord (Pr 1:7). Of course, this is the foundation for every life, knowing and obeying your Creator (Pr 9:10; Job 28:28; Ps 111:10; 112:1; 128:1-6; Eccl 12:13-14). But the very next rule for a successful life is to obey the parents the Creator God specially chose for you from the entire human race (Ex 20:12; Eph 6:1-3). Not every father gives good instruction; not every mother gives godly laws. But Solomon and his wife were wise. Solomon had had great parents, and he wanted his son to pay attention (Pr 4:1-4). If you have Christian parents that desire God's best for you, there is every reason to fully obey them. And if you do not, God wants you to obey them anyway.

After fearing the Lord, the simplest way for children to be wise and avoid life's pitfalls is to obey the hard-earned knowledge and affectionate wisdom of parents. What a fantastic thing! God has appointed an experienced man and woman with deep emotional ties as the personal guardians for every child. Why would a child ever disobey his father or mother? But many fathers have said, "Why did he do that? I clearly taught him to avoid that problem." Though the caring and experienced father warned his son about the danger of a choice, the son did not hear or remember the advice. He did not comprehend or retain the lesson, and he fell into the very pain and trouble his father tried to save him from. Many mothers have said, "Why did she do that? I gave her a rule to never do that!" Though the godly and loving mother laid down a law to protect her daughter, the foolish girl chose her own way and reaped the bitter consequences. She forsook the law of her mother by neglecting the warning and choosing to do things her own way. What causes children to be so foolish? They have only a fraction of the knowledge and experience their parents have. They are unable to identify or analyze the nature and causes of the dysfunctional lives around them. They are shortsighted, thinking only about the present, while their parents are focused on the future. They are emotionally captivated by peer pressure and childish foolishness. Their parents know them better than anyone else, including themselves, yet they persist in doing things their way. How foolish! It is the sins of pride, rebellion, and self-deception. The child, though barely trained to use a toilet and drink from a cup, believes it knows more than its parents. It wants to experiment with sex, though its parents have slept together every night for at least 10 years before it could even conceive of sex! What presumption! It wants to spend all income rather than save, even though it has not provided one dollar for its own support! Is obeying parents as important as the Bible makes it? Is disobedience worthy of death (Pr 20:20; 30:17; Deut 21:18-21; 27:16)? Definitely! Even if violating a parent's laws does not bring severe direct consequences, God Himself demands strict obedience to uphold His appointed representatives, to provide for parental tranquility, and to introduce the child to authority for future prosperity. God Himself will destroy every rebel. Child! You have been warned about rejecting your parents. But God has also offered an incentive, if you will obey and honor them. He will give you a long life and bless it with good success (Eph 6:1-3)! Can you believe your good fortune? Two loving parents to teach you wisdom, severe judgment if you rebel, but supernatural blessings if you obey! It is all up to you! You can have everything in the way of peace and success by obeying! Father! Are you giving your children the instruction they need to succeed in life and grow in favor with God and men? Your Creator has given you this duty (Eph 6:4). Mother! Are you laying down the law for your children to save them from the horrible troubles of this perverse generation? You are responsible along with your husband (Pr 6:20). Do not content yourself with raising children. Make sure you are preparing them to please God in life. Though the present generation thinks fathers and mothers are outdated - emphasizing instead oneparent homes, same-sex unions, test tube cloning, and public zoo instruction, the word of God still stands as the always relevant and infinitely wise manual from our Creator (Ps 119:128; Is 8:20; I Tim 6:20-21). Any efforts to compromise, despise, or overthrow its laws will bring confusion and destruction (Pr 29:18; Ps 9:17). Reader! Have you submitted yourself to the instruction and laws of your Father in heaven? If you neglect the preaching of His word, even your prayers become an abomination to God (Pr 28:9). If you are not a prepared and focused hearer, He will strip you of any wisdom you think you have (Luke 8:18). And the blessing of hearing the truth preached is limited to those who are doers of what they hear (Jas 1:21-25).

Proverbs 1:9
For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
A young man can be like a glorious prince with a crown on his head and chains on his neck. There are two conditions - parents to teach him God's wisdom, and his obedience to that instruction. If either is missing, a young man will grow up dysfunctional and disgraceful. The only remedies in such a case are the powerful grace of God, intervention of other teachers, and/or his devoted diligence to overcome such a handicap to success. This proverb is a powerful metaphor. Instead of using "as" or "like" to indicate a simile, Solomon made a stronger point by teaching that obedience to parental instruction would give a young man the visible honor usually due a prince (Gen 41:42). While obedience will not literally obtain jewelry for a young man's public appearance, it will give him the grace and wisdom that gloriously adorn a young man in the eyes of God and men. Solomon introduced the purpose of Proverbs (Pr 1:1-6), laid the foundation of wisdom in the fear of the Lord (Pr 1:7), and immediately identified the importance of young men obeying their parents (Pr 1:89). He went on to warn against companionship with wicked men (Pr 1:10-19), and he described the terrible consequences of rejecting offered wisdom (Pr 1:20-33). Here in the first chapter of the book are the foundation stones for success in life. Wise parental instruction is essential for a young man's success. Without it, he enters the world as an ignorant infant, and he makes little progress beyond that without parental experience and wisdom poured into his heart and mind. He never truly grows up! He remains deformed and stunted in proportion to the neglect of his parents. He responds to life in most cases like a spoiled child. Character is formed in childhood and youth (Pr 19:18; 22:6,15). Woe to the young man with foolish, lazy, or wicked parents. A young man learns the important things in life by watching and obeying a godly father. He learns to balance authority and affection, maximize a marriage, obtain professional success, lead a home, respect authority, manage money, avoid whores and drunkenness, walk with God, pray, apply the Bible, and forgive others' offences. Without this training, he lacks graciousness, humility, perseverance, mercy, and ruling his spirit and tongue. He never achieves the princely grace and glory of a man with the approval of God and men. What are the lessons this far? A young man's success depends on the wise instruction of godly parents. Parents have an obligation from God to train their children in the fear of the Lord (Pr 23:13-14; 29:15; Deut 6:4-7; Eph 6:4). And children are bound to repay their parents for that great kindness and service (I Tim 5:4). But wise parental instruction is only half of the equation. A young man must obey the commandments, laws, and warnings of his parents in order to benefit from their efforts. A foolish and stubborn child is doomed to failure and misery. The only way he can grow and prosper before God and men is to take his parents' advice to heart and obey it in his life (Pr 3:1-2; 4:10-13,20-22; 5:1-2; 6:20-24; 7:1-5; 23:1923; Eph 6:1-3). The goal of being a prince before God and men can only be achieved by careful obedience to good parents. Father! Are you training your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, as did Abraham, David, and others (Pr 4:3-4; Gen 18:19; Ps 78:1-8; Eph 6:4)? The consequences of neglecting your children, no matter the excuse, will cause problems for generations! Young man! Are you obeying what your parents have taught you? Do you humbly accept instruction, even when it differs from this perverse world (Pr 15:31; Deut 4:5-10)? Are you strong and focused enough to defy peer pressure and evil communications (I Cor 15:33)?

Older man! If you had great parents that taught you the fear of the Lord, honor them and thank God for them! If you did not have such parents, then you must beg God for help and put forth greater effort to learn the valuable things you were not taught in childhood. The ultimate crown and chains of glory are reserved in heaven for those who endure temptation and pursue a life of righteousness as defined by Jesus Christ and His apostles (I Cor 9:25; II Tim 4:8; Jas 1:12; I Pet 5:4; Rev 2:10). A prince in heaven is infinitely superior to one on earth! Look well to your going! Do not miss your reward (II John 1:8)!

Proverbs 1:10
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Good men resist the temptation of sin. Great men resist the efforts of others to get them to sin. No matter how advantageous and desirable an evil person or thing might be, they will not give in. They will hold to righteousness and truth regardless of consequences. Sinners are not content sinning and going to hell by themselves. They want to include others in their wickedness. Bringing the innocent into their sinful activities and friendship helps justify their evil minds, and the devil uses them to corrupt God's saints. The context describes a group of cutthroats luring an innocent young man into their gang (Pr 1:11-14). They offer him friendship, unity, success, and riches. The Preacher warns his son to stay away from them, for they are wicked and headed for destruction (Pr 1:15-19). Strong men will not agree with sinners for any reason! They are committed to what is right, and the folly of fools angers them. They hate the wicked (Ps 101:3; 139:21-22)! How do sinners entice - seduce, attract, or lure - saints? There are several ways, and their different methods provide wonderful lessons for increasing in wisdom and understanding. First, there is family. Woe to those who exalt family over Scripture, for they will compromise righteousness to save it. What a cheap sell-out! For family? A dinner table with sinners and saints confused? So Jesus taught His disciples to hate family in comparison to Him (Luke 14:26). His doctrine divides families to test our love of Him (Matt 10:34-37). If we will not forsake family for Jesus Christ and the truth, we are not worthy of Him. Because Eli chose his sons, God destroyed him forever (I Sam 3:13). Second, there is fear of man. If we worry about what others think or do, we trap our own souls (Pr 29:25). We will compromise Scripture to gain their approval. We call it peer pressure, when it involves children; but we say little, when it involves adults. What a disgusting fear! Why not say, "I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb 13:6)? Peter, noble and brave in his intentions, compromised horribly before mere maids! And Pilate, warned by his wife and convicted himself, could not release Jesus before the Jews! Third, there is association. Some are so desperate for society, they will do anything to keep their standing. The implied unity of the proverb is precious to them. Standing alone overwhelms these weaklings. They need acceptance and support to survive. Believers among the Jews would not confess Jesus for fear of losing synagogue membership (John 12:42). God condemns this compromising association with sinners (Isaiah 8:9; II Chron 19:1-2)! He is looking for men who will stand against the crowd like Joshua and Caleb! Fourth, suggested or offered success is enticing. The young man was told he could fill his house with treasure, if he were to join the gang (Pr 1:13). How many men have sacrificed their convictions to get ahead in their profession? What a revolting trade! It took only thirty pieces of silver to buy the soul of Judas and sell the Lord Jesus Christ. It took only a little silver and two changes of clothes to buy the soul of Gehazi. How cheap!

The world's enticements can be reduced to three kinds of sin - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (I John 2:15-17). Satan used these three enticements on Eve, and they worked (Gen 3:6); he tried them on our Lord, but He resisted them. Are you able to identify these offerings by sinners and detect your weakness for them? Churches today offer a smorgasbord of dessert-like inventions for carnal Christians and the unregenerate. They boast of their growth and many programs to satisfy the lusts of every age and sex. They make great efforts to entice you to join them. Do not consent! Dear reader, are you settled on the rock of God's Word? Will you remain there regardless of who might entice you or what might be offered? Do you know your own soul and the weaknesses of it? Examine yourself, and remove any temptations far away! Our Lord Jesus was enticed by the devil three times (Luke 4:1-13). Did He compromise at all? Not a chance! And what was His answer each time? It is written! Do you love the Second Adam for His infinite superiority to the First Adam? We praise Thee, O God! Wisdom demands you end unnecessary and/or tempting relationships with sinners (Pr 1:15)! See the comments on 13:20. David's conviction to live a righteous life included cutting off any sinner among his acquaintances, even if it involved family members (Ps 101:4-8). Are you ready and willing to stand alone against all the enticements of the wicked?

Proverbs 1:11
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
Evil friends are a great danger to youth. Peer pressure bends and molds them, even the strong and resolved, to destruction. David began his psalms with the warning (Ps 1:1). Solomon began his proverbs the same way (Pr 1:10-19). The warning was stated, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not" (Pr 1:10). To avoid being twisted, hate the vise! King Solomon, the wise father, illustrated his warning by a graphic invitation to join a band of cutthroats. Their cruelty and greed can hardly be matched (Pr 1:11-13); their certain ruin does not affect them (Pr 1:17-19). Few would be enticed by an offer to secretly shed the blood of innocent people for no reason! But enticement by any sinner is no better! "Come with us." The first word is like the Pied Piper's horn - impossible to resist and damning in the end. Come, we are going places today. Come, we have activities planned that you have missed. Come, we are always doing exciting things. Why be bored with your simple and strict life? There are things to do and places to go that will fill your life with excitement and thrills. Why stay at home? Things are happening! Come! "Come with us." The second word speaks of acceptance, approval, belonging, friendship, and unity. We can be together. You can be part of a tight circle of friends. You will never be lonely again. We will co-mingle our abilities and assets; we will be invincible. Why live life alone? You will never be anything alone! We can enter the wide gate together! "Come with us." The third word declares the desirability of the association. We are well known. We are popular. We have accomplished great things, and we are going to do more. We have the fastest growing church in the city. We have a name. We have influence. We have antiquity and tradition with us. You are nothing in your small group. The bait is offered. Who can resist, "Come with us"? Solomon exposed sinners by stating their wicked activities bluntly. Evil men seldom declare such profane goals up front, but all sin and rebellion are the same in the sight of God, no matter how socially acceptable. Most would reject such a calloused

invitation, if it were stated, but it is usually hid. Young girls seduced by worldly men never planned to kill an unborn baby, but many end up under the abortionist's knife. David found it easy to be joined with Bathsheba, but he never planned to murder one of his most loyal friends. Many Jewish rulers that believed on Jesus Christ could not leave the synagogue, so they became guilty by association with the most cold-blooded murder in human history (John 12:42-43). Young man! Young woman! If sinners entice thee, consent thou not (Pr 1:10)! Walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path (Pr 1:15)! Ignore their charms, invitations, or threats. Do not lie to yourself! They will corrupt you (I Cor 15:33)! Guaranteed! You will end up with blood dripping from your hands one way or the other! Get away! Get far away! Get away now (Pr 4:14-15; 9:6; 13:20; Ps 1:1-6; 26:4-5)!

Proverbs 1:12
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
Fools and sinners are arrogantly confident of success. A band of cutthroats tried to lure an innocent young man to join it by boasting of certain success. Such lazy, murderous thieves, bloated with ambitious and ignorant pride, are beyond hope or help (Pr 26:12,16). King Solomon knew evil friends were the greatest danger to his son and all young men, so he began Proverbs by warning against them (Pr 1:10-19). This proverb is part of a parable about a gang of murdering marauders, who declared their plans in positive glory to entice a new member. Solomon concluded the parable by guaranteeing their ruin (Pr 1:17-19). The murderers speak in this proverb. Though such things are rarely said openly, Solomon exposed their true intents for the purpose of his warning. Full of malice and violence, they will find victims with assets (Pr 1:11-14). They will kill the innocents easily and swallow them as thoroughly as the grave or pit. The united band will kill quickly; there will be no opposition; any incriminating evidence will be destroyed. Success is certain! The haughty confidence and lying words of these cutthroats are old. Sinners have always thought their crimes would be easy and without consequences. They are sure of success in their evil ambitions. Foolish and nave young men fall for their boastful plans and join them. They do not see the certain destruction that is waiting for all such wicked rebels. David was confident he could successfully kill Uriah in battle for his wife, but he forgot God seeing the deed and letting him grieve over the death of his son (II Sam 12:14-23)! A strange woman, an adulteress, guaranteed the pleasure and success of a sinful liaison (Pr 7:18-23). She detailed how they could get away with this heinous crime against her husband. The idiot that joined her ended up in death and hell (Pr 2:18-19; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18)! Judas thought 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus was an easy score. In his profane pride, he did not see Satan leaving his guilty bowels scattered across a field (Acts 1:18). The Jews hated Jesus, so they demanded Pilate to crucify Him. When he sought to avoid His innocent blood, they begged for it on themselves and their children (Matt 27:24-25). God and Titus made sure that it was (Matt 21:33-41; 22:1-7; 23:29-36; I Thess 2:15-16)! The way of transgressors is hard (Pr 13:15), the way of murder harder. "A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him" (Pr 28:17).

Proverbs 1:13
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
What an offer! How can you resist? Unity with others! All precious substance! Houses filled with spoil! Beware! Death and hell are hidden in the words! The world does not entice you to sin by offering pain and trouble. It entices you by offering friendship, pleasure, and success. But all that glitters is not gold, and sin will bring your total ruin. Here is a lesson in peer pressure. Solomon warned his son to reject sinners enticing him to participate with them in their folly (Pr 1:10). He warned against their promises of unity and good success (Pr 1:1114). And he concluded the lesson by telling his son to stay away from their sins and the horrible judgment that would surely come on them (Pr 1:15-19). A large part of wisdom is rejecting ungodly friends. It is a common warning of Scripture (Ex 23:2; Ps 1:1; 26:4-5; 101:1-8; I Cor 15:33; II Cor 6:14-17; Jas 4:4). But Solomon emphasized it for the safety of his son (Pr 1:15; 4:14-15; 9:6; 13:20; 14:7; 19:27). All good parents will be vigilant to keep their children from the ungodly influences of evil friends. Every sin offers a desirable motive, short-term pleasure, or promise of success; otherwise men would not sin. Eve thought she could become like God, if she ate the forbidden fruit. Samson thought Delilah would make him happy. Ananias and Sapphira thought they could keep some of the money and still be important in the church. Sin is a deceitful lie! The devil and his world make tempting offers. They seldom admit they hate God, want to violate His word, and cannot wait for hell. They appear as an angel of light and ministers of righteousness telling how to have your cake and eat it too. Satan comes as another Jesus, presenting a popular gospel, and oozing another spirit (II Cor 11:3-4,13-15). It is the perilous times of the last days: evil seducers are worse than ever (II Tim 3:1-13). Carnal Christianity is full of them. One of their sweet lies to compromise truth is the offer of growth - you can have a mega-church - just like the cutthroats in our proverb. But Paul condemned the end-justifies-themeans crowd and their heretical measurement of godliness by gain (I Tim 6:3-5). He told Timothy to get away from such men (I Tim 6:5). What is the cure for these lying tempters? "But godliness with contentment is great gain" (I Tim 6:6). Peer pressure cannot affect a man committed to godliness and content with what he has. Seducers have no opening in such a man's life! Paul warned further about the grievous dangers of worldly ambition (I Tim 6:7-10). Moses should be our example: he forsook all the opportunities of Egypt to suffer with Christ's people (Heb 11:24-26).

Proverbs 1:14
Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
Unity is nothing without God's approval! In fact, it is damnable treason, unless God approves! Sinners want saints to agree with them and join their projects, but the LORD God demands His children avoid and reject their close company (Pr 1:10,15). Sinners make great appeals for cooperation and friendship, but their hearts pursue very different goals. Solomon here warned his son, and all young men, against the peer pressure of sinful men (Pr 1:10-19). See the comments on 1:10. Their goals were robbery and murder, and they would certainly be destroyed. Young men who fear the Lord should stay far from them and reject all appeals for joining

together. Running with the gang is contrary to godliness! Though it might seem safe to be united with the majority in some foolish or sinful endeavor, Solomon by God warned his son that no combined strength could protect from God's judgment (Pr 11:21). It is the wide gate and broad way, with many travelers joined happily together in the majority, that leads to destruction and death (Matt 7:13-14). There is no safety or sanctuary from judgment in associating with sinners. An approving God that delights in your rejection of sin and sinners is the real sanctuary (Is 8:9-15). When nations gathered together against God's church in the Old Testament, He mocked their efforts, knowing He would empower His people to destroy them (Mic 4:11-13). Fellowship and society with godly saints is wonderful (Ps 133:1; Phil 1:3-5), but it is horrible when saints are unequally joined together with unbelievers (Ps 144:11; I Cor 5:9-11)! Communion and unity in Christ's churches are great blessings (I Cor 12:12-27), but fellowship with sinners is damnable (Eph 5:11-12). Yet some good men with weak character cannot resist the invitations and pressure of wicked men to join with them. Jehoshaphat was such a man. A grandson of David and king of Judah, he could not resist the invitations of Ahab, king of Israel, at joint projects and family intermarriage (II Chron 18:1-3). What saith the Lord? "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD" (II Chron 19:2). King Ahab had 400 prophets in full agreement in his ministerial association, but these were no match for one man who feared the LORD and would not join them. For one of the most interesting and powerful events in the Bible, read about the true prophet Micaiah rejecting their pleas for unity to declare God's word (I Kgs 22:1-40). Jehoshaphat was judged for joining with Ahab, but Micaiah was blessed for defying Ahab's 400 prophets. The Tower of Babel was man's first known effort at uniting all the peoples of the earth, but the LORD stopped the work in its tracks and confounded all the participants! Glory! At the same site two thousand years later, King Nebuchadnezzar took his stab at religious ecumenism and unity, but three faithful men would not compromise truth at any cost and turned the religious festivities upside down! Glory! God's children can only have true peace when purity is exalted - purity of truth and righteousness. "Come out from among them," is the holy cry of apostles and angels (II Cor 6:14-17; Rev 18:4). God's highest blessings and fellowship demand it (II Cor 6:16 - 7:1). There is no real peace where purity is sacrificed, only the peace of death (Pr 21:16). Churches must reject any holding contrary doctrine (Rom 16:17-18; Titus 3:10-11). Godly men easily separate from those who do not fear God nor keep His commandments. Like Phinehas, they do not need to pray about the matter, they zealously take a javelin and end the party (Num 25:1-15). David did not want any compromisers near him (Ps 101:3-8), for he hated fools and sinners (Ps 26:5; 31:6; 139:21-22). Furthermore, he taught God's blessing on those who will separate from evildoers (Ps 1:1-3). Moses left Egypt's pleasures and riches for the afflictions and reproach of Christ and His church (Heb 11:24-27). Could you make such a choice? Would you make it? There is comfort and reward, praise of men and human security, by staying in Pharaoh's house. But the great reward - the riches of Christ and an eternal inheritance in Him - are found only in Canaan, with a separated life. Are you willing to go alone with Jesus Christ, if you must go to Him outside the camp even of professing Christians (Heb 13:12-14)?

Proverbs 1:15

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
A wise life requires avoiding fools. A righteous life requires avoiding sinners. Cheating here will cost you dearly: evil communications corrupt good manners (I Cor 15:33). These rules are especially true for youth, so Solomon taught his son to avoid the evil influences and the sinful lifestyles of fools and rebels. Peer pressure is a powerful force. A wise father will protect his children from it, and he will teach his children against it. Consider the context. Solomon first introduced the purpose for Proverbs: instruction in wisdom (Pr 1:16). He then stated the essential axioms of fearing God and obeying parents to achieve this goal (Pr 1:79). After that he gave a lengthy description of the temptations and dangers of wicked fools (Pr 1:1019). And he closed with a personification of wisdom as a woman appealing to young men to heed her advice and warnings, or else (Pr 1:20-33). The section begins, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not" (Pr 1:10). It is not "if" sinners will entice a young man, but rather "when." They will solicit him. They will offer great advantages, if he will join them (Pr 1:11-14). But the consequences will be fatal to his desire and need to be wise and successful (Pr 1:15-19). My son, consent thou not! Fools always seek others to join in their folly and wickedness (Pr 1:10-19; 2:10-15). Whores entice men to enjoy illicit sexual pleasures (Pr 2:16-19; 5:3-21; 7:6-21; 9:13-18). A wise young man will reject both. He will keep friendships only with good and righteous men (Pr 2:20-21), knowing the judgment that is certain to come on the wicked (Pr 2:22). God wants Christians to be separated people. The reason is simple - the world hates God, truth, wisdom, and Bible righteousness. Take a strong Bible stand on any subject, and you will soon know this by experience! The blessed God wants His people to love only Him and live only for Him. The world will do everything it can to keep you from this objective. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (Jas 4:4; I John 2:15-17). There is grave danger you are deceived. You either think you can survive a few worldly friendships, or you will not examine your life to see where you are allowing the world to entice you. Paul wrote forcefully, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Cor 15:33). You will be corrupted; or more likely, you already are. Friends with a worldly philosophy or lifestyle will destroy you. They will influence you to reject a holy God, to believe you are a product of evolution, that religious formalities are sufficient, that love makes everything acceptable, that you should follow your own heart, that you should accept those differing from you, that no one has all the truth, that confidence in a position is arrogant and divisive, or that God does not mind your sins. The proverb warns against two dangers - walking in friendship with sinners, or choosing their lifestyle. In order to learn wisdom and follow righteousness, you must first avoid any relationships with compromisers, fools, or sinners. This is the base requirement. But you must also reject their lifestyles, for choosing their activities, attitudes, philosophies, and goals is just as corrupting and damning. Get away from them and their ways! Where is the world enticing you or your children? Here are its top ten tools or institutions to corrupt your love of God and righteousness: television and movies, public schools, contemporary churches, work colleagues, public opinion, friendly neighbors, bestseller reading material, lifestyles of the rich and famous, retail advertising, and fashion trends. How is the world enticing you or your children? Here are its top arguments to convince you that worldly friendships are acceptable: they won't really hurt you; they are such nice people; you need to be moderate; we can agree to disagree on certain things; I need them for professional success; I need them for social success; limiting myself to church friends is too restrictive; it is the only way I can win them to the truth; they are better than many others; and God loves us all equally just as we are. These

are ten lies to destroy you. If wisdom and success are important to you, then you must avoid foolish persons, for they will destroy you (Pr 13:20; 14:7; 28:7). This is not an option; this is a commandment. How far should you get away? "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away" (Pr 4:14-15). If wisdom and success are dear to you, then you must associate with wise and successful persons. Who are these people? They are good men by God's definitions that fear Him and live wise and holy lives (Pr 13:20; Ps 119:63; Titus 1:8). Such friends can provide invaluable counsel and correction when you need them (Pr 15:22; 27:5-6,9-10,17). They will help you toward wisdom and righteousness, not away from it like worldly friends. This proverb also applies to religious associations. You must mark and avoid anyone differing with Paul's gospel (Rom 16:17-18). And you may justifiably curse any that preach a different gospel (Gal 1:6-9). You are to withdraw from those that violate his apostolic tradition (II Thess 3:6; I Tim 6:3-5). And you are to turn away from contemporary Christians (II Tim 3:1-5). Great religious compromise is here (II Tim 4:3-4). It is the duty of every believer to earnestly contend for the apostolic faith (Jude 1:3). Friends are good, if they are good friends; but good friends are only measured by their fear of God and righteous living. Where can you find such friends? In a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ, where the world and all its compromises and inventions are rejected. There the pure truth and wisdom of the apostolic gospel and the inspired scriptures are exalted, defended, and taught boldly and clearly. How do you stand regarding this rule?

Proverbs 1:16
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Fools cannot quit folly. Sinners cannot stop sinning. In fact, they run rather than walk to more wickedness. They greedily rush to satisfy their evil lusts (Eph 4:17-19). Because of this trait, young men should stay as far from fools and sinners as possible. If they associate with them, it is certain they will be pressed into greater and greater wickedness. After introducing the book of Proverbs (Pr 1:1-9), Solomon wrote a parable warning his son about the grave danger of evil associations (Pr 1:10-19). Foolish friends destroy more young men than any other single factor. The parable describes a band of cutthroats seeking to entice a young man to join them, and Solomon tells his son where such fools are headed. Being solicited to join a band of cutthroats is hard to imagine, but consider the temptation for young men to join gangs in high schools or city ghettos, immoral college fraternities, subversive military or professional organizations, the KKK, the Masonic Lodge, the Communist Party, and other societies of men pursuing a variety of evil goals. The danger of collusion with wicked men is their mad rush to more and more evil. No matter your intentions to avoid sin and wickedness, their enticing invitations and the power of peer pressure will be too much to resist. You will go down with them, and go down they certainly will. Solomon made this clear before ending the parable (Pr 1:17-19). Sin does not know contentment. One sin is not enough. After breaking a commandment of God and tasting the fruit of forbidden pleasures, it must have more. The heart becomes hardened, the conscience is seared, the lusts are inflamed, and the mind cannot forget the stolen thrills. The downhill rush to destruction has begun. What will stop the sinners? No young man can or will reform wicked friends. Instead, the wicked friends will corrupt his good

manners (I Cor 15:33). The safety of wisdom is simple: do not even get started in relationships with fools (Pr 1:10; 4:14-17; Ps 1:1-3). If you have foolish friends, forsake them immediately (Pr 9:6; 13:20). This rule is crucial for survival and success (Pr 2:10-22). Only God can change fools, which he did gloriously in the case of Saul of Tarsus (Titus 3:3-5). If you think you can change them, you are gravely mistaken. Be not deceived (I Cor 15:33)! Another proverb concludes, "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him" (Pr 27:22). The lesson is simple and weighty. Foolish friends will destroy any man. Therefore, reject all worldly friends for the friends of the king of Zion (Ps 101:1-8; 119:63; 144:11-15).